Structural Differences in Adult Orbital and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Predicted by Infant Temperament at 4 Months of Age

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Abstract
Temperament refers to a biologically based predilection for a distinctive pattern of emotions, cognitions, and behaviors first observed in infancy or early childhood. Approximately 20% of white 4-month-old infants demonstrate a high-reactive temperament, which is defined by vigorous limb activity, arching of their back, and crying to unfamiliar visual, olfactory, and auditory stimuli. In contrast, 40% of 4-month-olds show both low motor activity and low vocal distress to the same stimuli and are categorized as low reactive.1-3 These profiles were based on direct observations in the laboratory. As the 2 groups mature, they become toddlers who show distinctive responses to unfamiliar people, objects, and situations. High-reactive infants are biased to be timid with unfamiliar people, objects, and situations. In contrast, low-reactive infants are biased to develop into uninhibited children who spontaneously approach unfamiliar situations.1-4 This result is consistent with an account that emphasizes variation in the excitability of the amygdala and its projections to the ventral striatum, the periaqueductal gray, and anterior cingulate.3,5

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